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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

A few months ago, French schools and universities had received Harun Yahya's Atlas of Creation. Now this pseudoscientific work is hitting the US free of cost - check out this article in today's Science Times. This is timely for me as I just gave a public talk in Lahore that touched on Harun Yahya's Creationism, and next week I will be talking about the rise of Islamic Creationism at the Science & Religion conference at Lancaster University. Too bad, I'm not a biologist, otherwise I would have received a free copy of this Atlas.

I loved the response in the article of evolutionary biologist, Kevin Padian, about why universities in the US have had a much calmer response to Harun Yahya compared to France:

“In our country we are used to nonsense like this,” said Kevin Padian, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who, like colleagues there, found a copy in his mailbox.

He said people who had received copies were “just astounded at its size and production values and equally astonished at what a load of crap it is.

“If he sees a picture of an old fossil crab or something, he says, ‘See, it looks just like a regular crab, there’s no evolution,’ ” Dr. Padian said. “Extinction does not seem to bother him. He does not really have any sense of what we know about how things change through time.”

Too bad so much money is being spent on promoting this kind of work:

While they said they were unimpressed with the book’s content, recipients marveled at its apparent cost. “If you went into a bookstore and saw a book like this, it would be at least $100,” said Dr. Miller, an author of conventional biology texts. “The production costs alone are astronomical. We are talking millions of dollars.”

And then there’s postage. Dr. Padian said his copy was shipped by a company called SDS Worldwide, which has an office in Illinois. Calls and e-mail messages to the company were not returned, but Dr. Padian said he spoke to someone there who told him SDS had received a cargo-container-size shipment of books, “with everything prepaid and labeled. It just went all over the country.”

Support for creationism is also widespread among Muslims, said Dr. Edis, whose book “An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam” was published by Prometheus Books this spring.

“Taken at face value, the Koran is a creationist text,” he said, adding that it would be difficult to find a scholar of Islam “who is going to be gung-ho about Darwin.”

Perhaps as a result, he said, Mr. Yahya’s books and other publications have won him attention in Islamic areas. “This is a guy with some influence,” Dr. Edis said, “unfortunately for mainstream science.”

There may be some positive signs. Couple of years ago, bookstores in Islamabad were full of Harun Yahya books. In fact, many had special sections featuring his books. However, now its relatively hard to find his books. I fact, Saeed Book Bank - one of the most prominent bookstores in Islamabad, had no English copies of his books in stock. Similarly, I found out that there were questions on evolution in 10th grade exams. So either his popularity has gone down a bit in Pakistan or this is the calm before the storm.

this was the last crucial comment by "Evangelism Exposed," at the web site mentioned above, but unfortunately it was not published there --perhaps due to fear of possible threats from Gnostic & Evangelical crusaders--so I want to put it here as it is,as follows:

====================about “Jesus’ Second Coming” to the world,i want to give these critical informations to all believers –especially Christians & Muslims & Jews– here, in the first place:

?????????????????????????I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,said the Lord (Jesus),which is, and which was, and which is to come,the Almighty. (Revelation 1/8)

———-

Behold, I (Jesus) am coming quickly,and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.I am the Alpha and the Omega,the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the City.Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters,and everyone who loves and practices lying.

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches… (Revelation 22/12-16)

———-

Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I (Jesus) come.He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end,to him I will give authority over the nations;and he shall rule them with a rod of iron,as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces,as I also have received authority from My Father;

and I will give him the morning star.He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2/26-29)?????????????????????????

mainly based on these kind of some questionable “Revelations,”–which is claimed to have been “revealed” to someso called disciples long after Jesus has beenraised to God–many Evangelicals may be claiming “deity” for Jesusand his second coming to earth as a God Incarnate!!in near future, in the apocalyptic end times,and thereupon all their Evangelical invasion and domination over the world plans, as may have already been –a little bit– exposed above. (please see later at:Reuters, Faithworld, under “Harun’s …book pops up in Scotland,” topic; comments section:comment by “Evangelism Exposed,” June 25, 9:18)

but in fact, the real –dangerous– source of these kind of questionable “Revelations” may have already miraculously/awesomely been prophesied & exposed beforehand by Jesus and Muhammad (pbut) in Gospel and Quran, as follows:

=========================Jesus said: Beware of false PROPHETS, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Jesus said: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not PROPHESIED in your name?and in your name have cast out devils?and in your name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:depart from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7/15, 22)

Jesus said: why do you call me good? no one is good but God alone. (Mark 10/18)

**************

Muhammad informed us, via Quran: and thus we made for every Prophet (including Jesus) some adversaries from human and jinn satans;some of them (jinns) were inspiring to some (humans)FANCY WORDS (in the name of the Prophet), in order to deceive… (Quran 6/112)

Muhammad informed us, via Quran: definitely have blasphemed those who say God is the Messiah, son of Mary… (Quran 5/17)=========================

and now let us look, together, into the issue of Evangelical false claim –mainly based on those questionable “Revelations” above– of Jesus’ physical (as God’s Partner!!) second coming to the world,in the light of some enlightening real teachings of Jesus and Muhammad (pbut), as follows:

=========================Jesus said: But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away;for if I do not go away, the Advocate (= Gabriel) will not come to you;but if I go, I will send Him (= Gabriel, through Muhammad 2/97) to you.And He, when He (= Muhammad) comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;(according to prophet Muhammad: to not believe Jesus as an honorable Prophet and Christ is a gross sin. 3/45 & 4/159)

and concerning righteousness, BECAUSE NOW I GO TO THE LORD AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME;(according to prophet Muhammad: Jesus never came back and/or seen, and never inspired such questionable “Revelations” (from the book of Revelations referred above) to anyone anything after he has already been raised to God. 3/55 & 5/117)

and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.(according to prophet Muhammad: the -false- ruler of this world has already been judged and condemned. 39/85)

**************

at that time Allah said: o Jesus, now I amTERMINATING-YOUR-LIFE (= mutavaffeeka) –on earth–and raising you to Me… (Quran 3/55)

(at the Resurrection Day) Jesus said: …and i was a witness upon them as long as i stayed with them;but when You TERMINATED-MY-LIFE (= tavaffaytane) –on earth– then only You stayed as a Watcher upon them –up until now– and only You were upon every thing a Witness then. (Quran 5/117)=========================

and now let us look, together, into the issue of Jesus’ spiritual (as God’s Servant) second coming to the world,in the light of some enlightening rightful teachings of Jesus and Muhammad (pbut), as follows:

=========================Jesus said: i tell you, you will not SEE me again until–the time comes and– you say: “blessed is he (= perhaps that son of man; matthew 4/4 & john 6/27) who comes in the name of the Lord.”

for this is the will of my Lord, that everyone whoSEES the Servant (= Jesus) again and believes in him may have eternal life,and (God said:) I shall raise him (= Jesus) on the Third Day (= Third Millennium.)(** please see Psalms 90/4 to understand that “one Day” may sometimes actually be used for “one Thousand-Years” in the sight of God.)

it is written in the prophets: they (= Jesus’ true followers on the Third Millennium) shall all be taught by God. (Matthew 23/39 & John 6/40, 44-45)

************

at that time Allah said: o Jesus, now I am terminating-your-life and raising you to Me, and purifying you from the disbelievers;

and I will make THOSE WHO -TRULY- FOLLOW YOU (from Christians) ascendant upon those who disbelieved (under false Evangelical doctrine, 5/17) towards/until the Resurrection Day… (Quran 3/55)=========================

so surely this Big bang and Evolutionary Creation concepts may also play a big positive role in these most critical times in the appearance of these rightful Christians(and then truthful Muslims & and also Jews who may basically support them in their rightful cause)in this most critical Third Millennium, as may have already been pointed out many times in some of the above critical writings. (please see later at:Reuters, Faithworld, under “Harun’s …book pops up in Scotland,” topic; comments section:comments by “Evolutionary Creation” and then “Evangelism Exposed,”especially from –June 2, 11:52– and then downwards to the end.)

to see the real Gnostic Christian Masters behind this pseudo-islamic servant, (= baptist? .. john!)and their "common" delusional ideology, you can go to this web-site and carefully read their eccentric "ANTI-REALITY" arguments first:

http://www.stargods.org/WhatIsReality.html

and you should also see then Musa-Moses brother's critical comments on this issueat comments section: (May 16, 6:37) (May 17, 10:09) at this site:

to better understand the deep MESSIAH DAJJAL connection with this delusional CRUSADER ideology.

********************

and to see the real Evangelical Christian Masters behind this pseudo-islamic servant, (= baptist? .. john!)and their "common" misleading ideology,you can go to this web-site and carefully read their fanatic ANTI-EVOLUTIONARY arguments first:

http://www.creationresearch.org/about_crs.htm

and you should also see then Musa-Moses brother's critical comments on this issueat comments section: (May 16, 6:37) (May 17, 10:09) at this site:

I urge all the friends here to also visit this site and see the topic, and then all the "very interesting" comments made there,related to this Science & Religion & Evolution & Crusade & Evangelism etc. curious issues.

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What is Irtiqa?

Irtiqa is Salman Hameed's blog. A few years ago (before Facebook killed many of the blogs), it used to track stories of science & religion, especially those related to Muslim societies. That is still one of its foci, but now it dovetails more of Salman's interests including film, astronomy, science fiction, and science outreach in both Pakistan and the US.

Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for this blog. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.

The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.

Salman Hameed

Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.